Qian Ye’s heart sank slightly, feeling something was amiss. He held his sword in readiness. Sure enough, the ground began to break open, and strange insects shot out from the earth, attacking everyone. Among ten of these insects, five or six were heading straight for Qian Ye.
This level of attack couldn’t faze Qian Ye. He wielded his sword like a wisp of smoke, only appearing within a meter of his body, cutting down each insect without missing a single one.
But these insects were merely the first wave of cannon fodder. Everyone knew that the truly formidable attacks were yet to come. Suddenly, the werewolf count let out a scream as two insects bit into his back, tearing off large chunks of muscle. He had been so focused on killing the old Gao Hu elder that he failed to notice the insects’ ambush.
The insects’ strength surprised Qing Yue. She bit her lip, hesitating whether to aid the injured Gao Hu elder and the werewolf. Even if she managed to save the old man, with his severe injuries, their mission to explore the earth dragon’s lair would be nearly impossible to complete.
At this moment, the cave fell silent, and a putrid wind arose. Several six-legged crystal rock crocodiles crawled out of the cave. Upon their appearance, everyone’s faces turned pale, including Qian Ye. These crocodiles stood five meters tall, with bodies stretching dozens of meters long, each possessing the strength of Count Jarl. The key problem was their sheer numbers, along with the support of countless insects, making them extremely difficult to handle.
However, it wasn’t over. Behind the crystal rock crocodiles, a massive beast, resembling an armored rhinoceros, slowly emerged. It stood tens of marbles high, with a pair of long, curved horns—one large, one small—extending two meters from its forehead. Its crimson eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light, staring intently at the group.
At the sight of this beast, Qian Ye’s blood core involuntarily quickened, and his golden blood surged, forming a powerful force to counter the beast’s oppressive aura. This beast possessed the strength of a Marquis, clearly strong and well-protected, designed to counter the Gao Hu people.
It immediately targeted the instigator, firing a dark beam from its horn, instantly piercing through the entangled werewolf and Gao Hu elder, leaving a bowl-sized hole in their bodies.
Qing Yue’s face paled. This beast’s ability was overwhelmingly powerful, the dark beam almost matching a seventh-level primeval gun. There was no option for a kiting tactic. Moreover, its robust physique indicated that close combat was its forte. A beast that could both attack from afar and engage in close combat had no apparent weaknesses. Perhaps its mental and spiritual aspects were vulnerable, but no one among the Gao Hu excelled in those areas. Even if it stood still, Qing Yue might not be able to defeat it.
Qing Yue made a quick decision and threw a silver, gleaming grenade. The grenade exploded, first with a blinding flash, followed by a deafening roar. Qian Ye’s vision was instantly flooded with white light, causing his eyes to sting painfully, forcing him to close them. His ears rang, and for a moment, he saw and heard nothing.
Moreover, the grenade released a violent void primeval force, disrupting the surrounding space. Even Qian Ye lost his sense of the environment. Relying on his memory, he leaped towards the nearest cave wall. During his leap, he collided with several insects, but his sturdy body repelled them, allowing him to land against the wall and slide to the ground.
As the flash grenade’s effects dissipated, Qian Ye regained his senses. Many insects had lost their flight capabilities and tumbled on the ground, desperately struggling, some even turning on each other in a frenzy. The crystal rock crocodiles swayed, clearly disoriented. Only the giant rhinoceros seemed less affected, though its small eyes were red and streaming with tears.
Qing Yue’s flash grenade was highly effective, catching even those below the level of a god general off guard. Its interference was all-encompassing, even affecting Qian Ye’s enhanced vision.
Now, Qing Yue and the uninjured Gao Hu elder were nowhere to be seen. The insects and beasts, gradually regaining their senses, partly attacked the wounded werewolf count and Gao Hu elder, while most focused on Qian Ye. The giant rhinoceros spewed yellow smoke from its nostrils, and its horns began to glow again.
Qian Ye looked around, realizing what had happened. “So, I’ve been abandoned. Looks like I make a good bait,” he chuckled grimly.
Qing Yue had prepared the flash grenade without informing Qian Ye, clearly intending to abandon him at a critical moment. Her intentions in seeking him out were dubious, and she withheld many secrets. The fact that half the insects attacked him during the assault suggested that her interest in Qian Ye wasn’t due to his combat prowess. Yet, being forced into a desperate situation so early in their exploration of the earth dragon’s lair must have also taken her by surprise.
Dozens of insects clung to the werewolf and Gao Hu elder, gnawing away with a sickening sound. In moments, they were devoured entirely, bones, armor, machines, and primeval guns included, leaving only a few pieces of the hardest super-alloy.
Facing such a dire situation, Qian Ye showed no fear; instead, a frenzied flame ignited in his eyes.
“Come on!” Qian Ye pointed at the giant rhinoceros.
The beast, sensing Qian Ye’s challenge, roared and charged headlong. Insects in its path were either knocked aside or crushed. Even a crystal rock crocodile was flung into the air, rolling several meters away.
Qian Ye roared and charged back!
Halfway through, he hurled several primeval grenades in a fan formation, exploding over a hundred-meter radius. Using the cover of smoke, Qian Ye leaped, dodging the rhinoceros’s horn, and, defying gravity, landed on its back. He drove the Eastern Peak sword into the beast’s spine with all his might.
Plunging the sword into the rhinoceros felt like striking the toughest floating warship. No, even the warship’s outer armor couldn’t match the rhinoceros’s skin. Each inch the sword advanced required significant primeval energy.
Qian Ye exerted three times before the sword was halfway in. By then, it felt like it had finally pierced the skin and entered the flesh. The rhinoceros’s hide was over a meter thick, and Qian Ye nearly used all his strength to pierce it. The Eastern Peak could easily penetrate the armor of an imperial warship.
If Qing Yue and the others hadn’t fled, the rhinoceros could have crushed them with its thick hide alone. Only an eighth-level primeval gun, fully powered, could breach its defenses.
Qian Ye channeled his primeval energy through the sword, destroying the beast’s internal organs. The rhinoceros, in real pain, emitted a deep yellow glow, and a powerful force struck Qian Ye, throwing him off.
With the sword removed, a bowl-sized wound oozed a geyser of blood, raining down in the cave.
The insects, driven mad by the blood, ignored Qian Ye, frantically devouring the falling droplets. Some even fought each other over a drop.
A few drops landed on Qian Ye’s face, and one splashed near his lips. Licking the blood, he felt a surge of warmth, restoring a bit of his strength. No wonder the insects were frenzied.
But the rhinoceros, despite its size, was only slightly injured by the blood loss.
Qian Ye wiped his face, licked the remaining blood, and roared, entering a state of boiling blood. His entire body radiated a dark golden light, and his battle fervor raged.
The rhinoceros, sensing Qian Ye’s intent, roared back and charged.
Qian Ye slid ten meters to the side, avoiding the rhinoceros’s full frontal charge, and then slashed the Eastern Peak at its horn.
Boom!
A primordial drum-like sound reverberated, sending insects flying and even halting the advancing crystal rock crocodiles.
Qian Ye, like a broken kite, flew dozens of meters, crashing into the cave wall and creating a large crater, then sliding down.
The rhinoceros, too, staggered, shaking its head in pain. Blood seeped from cuts at the base of its horns, though the horns themselves remained intact. Qian Ye, with his ancient vampire lord’s physique, was nearly as strong as the beast, and the heavy Eastern Peak, when fully wielded, inflicted significant damage.
Landing, Qian Ye spat a mouthful of blood. The blood ignited in a golden flame, burning away. His golden blood, now at its peak, burned with immense power upon leaving his body.
Inspecting the Eastern Peak, Qian Ye found a small nick on the blade. Since its modification, it had never been damaged. Today, however, it was damaged by the rhinoceros’s horn.
Qian Ye crushed a handful of blood crystals, absorbing their essence, feeling revitalized. Pointing the Eastern Peak at the rhinoceros, he shouted, “Again!”
The rhinoceros, unable to tolerate this provocation, charged, shaking the underground world. As it rushed, earth-colored light emanated from its body. Qian Ye dodged, but was hit by an invisible force, flying out again. However, his body’s dark golden glow neutralized much of the impact, and he landed safely after a short distance.
Flashing, Qian Ye appeared beside the rhinoceros, leaping up, and thrusting the Eastern Peak into its side. The skin here was incredibly thick, and mid-air, Qian Ye barely pierced it. This time, he infused it with blood energy, not primeval force.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage